


The Love We Share

by Whitejj01



Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Flagship Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2018-10-23 23:11:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10729230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whitejj01/pseuds/Whitejj01
Summary: Magnus and Alex are head-over-heels for each other, and these are the stories of how they grew closer and eventually joined.THE ONLY SOURCE OF HETSLASH FIERROCHASE ANYWHERE!EDIT: SEASON 2 COMING VERY SOON!!!





	1. Comforting Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody!  
> this is my first proper fic, so tell me what you think!  
> I'll try and post a new chapter every 3 days or so; These are hard to come up with!  
> There isn't any actually sexual content in the first 4 chapters, but they talk about it in chapter 5, and in chapter 7, they actually do it.
> 
> Cheers!  
> -Whitejj01

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus helps Alex through some tough times, and Alex helps Magnus through some as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for trust-building!
> 
> Enjoy!

 

Chapter 1

 

Alex Fierro had always been strange.

That was for sure.

But lately, Magnus thought, she had been acting even more strangely than usual; She'd have a ton of energy and be very happy and then all of a sudden she'd go into her room and not open the door to anyone. She also seemed to be a girl almost all of the time now.

If you were to take a magnifying glass to Magnus' relationship with Alex, you might think they were lovers, but they weren't. At least not yet. Alex had opened up to Magnus about a lot of personal stuff, and Magnus had done the same with Alex. They were completely different people when they were alone together.

That certainly liked being around each other, and yes, Alex had given him a few kisses, but neither of them were sure yet about how it was all going to play out.

This morning, they had eaten breakfast together in Alex's room; They sat on the grass and talked and ate and made fun of each other. Then they'd gone to battle together and died in the same 10-square-foot area.

It was now evening; Magnus was just waking up from his post-death dreams.

As reality came into focus, Magnus shook his head to clear it.

_Ugh; Decapitated again._

Magnus' head wouldn't stop aching; That was the bad part about having your head cut off.

Magnus got up and got dressed, which was lucky; Just as he finished, Alex burst through the door (Hunding had set it up so they could get into each other's rooms).

"So how did you die?" she asked.

"Decapitation; how about you?" he replied.

Thunder cracked and the sky in the atrium darkened.

 _This again?_ he thought to himself.  _Damnit_   _damnit._

"Axe to the face," she told him, nervous and distracted, "So- do you want to get lunch? It's beginning to rain in here."

For about two months now, there had been some problems with the hotel room weather; The skies would alternate between sunny, cloudy, and rainstorm.

"Sure," he automatically replied. Being around her this much was fantastic, and he wasn't going to pass up any extra opportunities to hang out. "I just hope we make it out of the hallway."

Their hallmates were incessantly trying to keep tabs on their relationship, which had already gotten Halfborn killed twice for sneaking up on Alex.

 

They snuck down the hallway to the elevators and jumped into the first available one. They made their way down to the food court and ate lunch. At one point, Alex leaned on his shoulder and laughed and smiled- Magnus loved that.

"I'm bored," Alex droned.

"Do you have any ideas?" Magnus asked, "Anything you want to do in particular?"

"Well- I do have an idea," She said, "Hold on."

She re-situated herself.

"Okay. So- it's summer, isn't it?," Alex started, "I was thinking we should go on a big trip to a theme park."

"Okay. Which one?" he replied, his mouth full.

"Somewhere with water; It's really hot outside and I'm getting tired of the... rain in our rooms," she replied, looking uncomfortable again.

Magnus wanted more than anything to make her happy, and seeing her in her swimsuit wouldn't exactly hurt either.

So they spent some time together planning out their vacation from paradise.

A week later, they packed their things (there wasn't much to pack), and headed out into Midgard.

They arrived at the water park and checked into their hotel on the borders of the park without any problems; They got all their stuff into their two-bedroom suite and changed into their bathing suits.

As Magnus changed, he wondered what Alex would wear; she was trans-gender, but he had no idea what she'd typically choose. Would she wear female swim gear or just a pair of swim-shorts, like guys did?

When Magnus walked out of his room, two things happened; One, his question got answered, and two, he almost got left behind.

Alex did in fact wear a one-piece female bathing suit. When Magnus saw her, his heart beat so fast, it practically popped. She was gorgeous, for one thing, and the bathing suit was also just a little bit tight on her frame; Not tight enough to show anything off limits, but it still made her look even better than usual.

Alex blushed a bit, but did a good job of hiding it. She smirked, crossed her arms and said in a teasing tone, "Hey, eyes to yourself, Lover Boy." Now it was his turn to blush a little bit.

"I wasn't... uh, I..."

He ttok a second to gether his brain back together. "Sorry, I... couldn't help it. You just... you look really amazing."

"Thank you," she said. She looked away, blushing even more.

Whenever she said  _thank you_ like that, Magnus felt like he was going to melt into a puddle.

"Now come on! Let's go jump in already!" she hoppped lightly up and down like an excited kid. He'd almost reached the door when she bolted through it and down the hall.

"Hey!" he laughed, running after her, "Wait for me!"

They went on all sorts of rides, they went into the wave pool, they did almost everything there was to do in the park. Neither of them wanted to go on the vertical hundred-foot-tall slides, so they skipped those.

Once, Alex slipped on the concrete and almost flipped over a railing. Magnus caught her at the last second, but one of his hands ended up on the edge of her breast. Magnum was so startled when he noticed this that he almost dropped her. As soon as she was back on her feet, Magnus started apologizing for the physical contact and for not catching her sooner, but Alex put her finger to his lips to shush him.

"It's okay, Magnus. I'll talk with you more about it later."

That still sounded a little bit ominous, but she smiled at him and he knew it would be okay, even if he was in for a reprimand. Her eyes said  _s_ _hut up for now. We'll talk about it, unless you start blithering._

At the end of the day, they went back to the hotel and ordered some food; They watched some TV and they talked together.

Magnus started to apologize again for touching her without permission, especially her breast, but she stopped him.

She took a breath. "Magnus, calm down; You don't have to apologize. For one thing it was an accident; You were trying to keep me from getting hurt, which was sweet of you."

Hearing that made him blush so hard, but he loved her so much that he didn't care.

"For another thing," she continued, "I'm okay with physical contact from you."

His heart skipped a beat.

"You're a really close friend, and I know you would never do anything inappropriate- at least not without getting my permission first." She wriggled her eyebrows, Making him stammer unintelligably.

At this point Magnus was fairly sure that he was hallucinating. He gulped, then tried to speak.

"You- you trust me that much?"

"Magnus, I trust you more than anyone else I know." She told him, smirking. "I don't want you to get any ideas, though. The jury's still out on whether or not I would want to date you."

"I wasn't... I didn't..." he stammered hopelessly.

She busted out laughing, for a second, which humiliated Magnus, and then smiled again knowingly. "It's alright, Maggie." She gave him a kiss - it had only been a week since the end of their quest, and he could tell instinctively that she wasn't completeley ready to answer him yet.

He knew that she liked him - he could tell that much. The part that he speculated Alex wasn't sure about was the commitment lovers had to each other in a relationship. Alex was all about change - she wasn't sure yet about being tied down to him,  _with_ him, just yet.

She pulled away after what seemed like a lifetime, leaving him wanting more. She looked him in the eyes and smiled, blushing furiously. "Goodnight, Maggie."

"'Night," he managed.

She rolled her eyes and went into her room, whistling  _Fly Me To The Moon,_ just like last time.

He stood there for a minute, trying to remember what planet he was on, and then went to go undress for the night.

After that, they went to bed and each fell asleep thinking about the other.

 


	2. Sweet Love

Chapter 2

The next day went pretty much the same, minus the slip-and-almost-fall of the previous day. The park had closed about 5 minutes early because of a storm that had been spotted about 15 miles away, so Alex and Magnus went back to the hotel together and watched a movie. They had pizza for dinner, and went to bed just as the storm rolled in.

In their time together, Alex and Magnus had learned a lot about each other; even some deep secrets. Magnus was extremely afraid of being left alone (And of course wolves), and Alex - Alex was extremely afraid of thunder and lightning.

She had been little bit embarrassed about it at first, but magnus had told her that it was no big deal, and that she didn't have to be embarrassed.

"It's okay," he'd said, "That doesn't make you any less awesome or badass than you are, and I promised that I'd never judge you, remember?"

 

Alex had already been a little tense when she heard there was a storm in the area. As she was about to fall asleep, lightning struck about half a mile away from the hotel. She yelped and jumped about a foot into the air.

Magnus heard her and he was in the process of getting up to investigate when she came into his room. She was shaking a little bit, and she looked like she might cry.

"Can I please sleep... with you tonight?" she asked, realizing how awkward it might be as she said it.

"it's-"

"Please?" she pleaded, her voice cracking with emotion, but she was too scared to be embarrassed.

He stopped. Here was Alex Fierro, who had decapitated Magnus for the first time, scared and shaking, wearing only panties and a bra; yet he didn't think about how totally and completely different this was from everyday Alex, or how this would be weird having a girl- let alone an almost totally naked girl- in his bed.

The only thought that entered his head was how much he wanted to help her and make her feel better.

"Come here." he said, stretching out his arms.

She didn't even think twice. She went straight to him and walked into his arms. He held her gently around the waist; She was still trembling a little bit.

"I'm sorry," she said, emotion choking her voice.

"No, don't apologize," he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "It's okay," he told her softly. "It's okay."

After about half an hour, the storm had stopped. Alex looked like she was doing better.

"Magnus, would you mind if... if I stayed in here with you? Just for tonight?"

"Of course I wouldn't," he said.

"I know it's..."

"I know. It might feel... awkward, but I promise it's okay. It's okay with me that we're both almost naked; it's okay with me that at the moment, we're a girl and a guy who- you know, aren't really  _together_  yet- in the same bed. I'm okay with all of that, and if you are too, then we can just forget about it, and stay here in this bed together."

She laughed to herself a little. "Wait, what was I thinking? I should've known you'd jump at an opportunity like this, Lover Boy."

"Alex, That's not what I meant." His voice was gentle but firm, strong. Typically, she knew he was a big softie - now he was commanding.

"I'm doing this because I want you to feel better, not because I want to be with you. Oh gods, no, that wasn't what I meant-"

She put her finger over his mouth to ask for silence.

"I know what you meant, Maggie." she put her hand on his cheek with an unexpected gentleness. "I was just teasing you before. I know you're just trying to help, and nothing else." she wiped away a small tear quickly, before he could see it.

"Are... okay." he did the smart thing and closed his mouth.

Alex climbed under the covers, coming to rest only a couple feet away.

 

She tried for a smile and took a breath and curled up. After a moment, she looked over her shoulder at him and playfully said, in her still-shaky voice, "Are you- going to come over here and hold me or not?"

"I..." he gulped. "You really... want me to... with you?"

"Yes,  _Magnus Chase_." She emphasized his name with impatience.

"Now c'mon. I'm getting cold, and I hate being cold."

So he curled up around her and very carefully put his hands back around her waist.

"Magnus, it's alright," she said in a gentle tone that he wasn't expecting. It was crazy, how different this was from normal Alex. So much softer, so much sweeter.

"It's okay, I promise. I want you to hold me."

He gathered his courage and tightened his grip just a little, and then, ever so carefully, he pressed his chest against her back.

" _There_  we go," she said slowly. "This is nice."

"But... why would you want to do this- with me?" he asked. "You don't even want to date me."

"Magnus, you're good at this part," she confessed. "I'm just not sure if I'm ready for the other parts. The commitment, the... gossip. That stuff."

"So... you're afraid of being tied down to me?" he asked softly. "You change a lot, so I can see how that might be a thing."

"Yeah," she confirmed. "I guess I just... I don't want to be locked into something I'm not sure about yet."

He nodded against her neck. "Okay."

They fell asleep just like that, Magnus still holding her.

 

Their entire vacation from paradise was supposed to be a week long, and that was only the second night.

The next day, when they woke up, they laughed at each other's static-y hair and went to get ready. Alex didn't seem to mind him seeing her semi-naked at all, even if it was only for a few minutes. It had happened before, but not like this. She did have a beautiful body; she was slim, with medium-sized breasts and powerful-yet graceful legs and arms. Her einherji strength made her muscles defined, but it didn't look like she was lifting weights or anything; It just looked like she could snap your neck if you pissed her off, which Magnus had a healthy respect for.

For the next few days they did the same things; they went to the water park whenever they could since it was still ridiculously hot in Boston, and whenever there was a storm, Alex came and slept with Magnus. They kept growing slowly closer together. they put a lot of trust in each other and got a lot more comfortable with each other as well; They were both completely fine with seeing each other semi-naked now, and talking candidly about each other's personal problems was fine too. On the last day, she came to his room to talk to him.

"Magnus, I think we should talk about... us two dating."

Magnus practically choked on his own spit when he heard that. "Uh, could you... say that again? I just want to make sure that... You're sure."

"I'm not saying yes, not necessarily." she said. "I just wanted to ask what you think it would be like."

She sat down criss-crossed on the bed next to him, waiting for his answer.

He thought for a moment, then began. "I guess I'd... comfort you whenever you need it, and I'd spend time with you, and kiss you. I'd try to take it slow, and let things happen in their own time. And I guess I'd sleep with you more often. Uh, you know what I mean."

Alex nodded. She did know. She sat there, considering- wondering if it could really work.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Uh, same as you, I guess. I'd take it slowly, and spend time with you when I wanted to, and talk to you about stuff. And yeah - I'd sleep with you more often, too." She smiled to herself.

 

He scooted close and studied her face. "Alex, what are you afraid will happen?"

"How do you know what I'm thinking?" she asked sharply.

He took a moment to answer. "I can see it in your eyes," he replied.

She sighed, her protective wall crumbling. "I'm afraid you'll ask for things I'm not ready to give you yet, like answers, or..." she waved her hands around, indicating all the things she wanted to keep to herself. "I don't want to have to say no to you. I don't want to put up a wall between us."

Magnus mustered his courage and gently put his hands over hers, which were clasped in her lap again.

"If that's what you're afraid of, then there's no reason for you to be afraid. I know you don't want to have to say no."

He moved his tentatively to her apper arms, which surprised her a little. "But at some point, I might ask for something like that. I'm human, so there's no avoiding it - I'll eventually make a mistake. But I  _promise_ you that if you aren't ready to do something, if you  _do_  say no, then nothing would have to happen."

His warm hands reached her shoulders, making her shiver a little. "I think what you're really afraid of... is... being rejected by me. Like if I asked for something and you said no, then you think I'd hate you, or like you less. Is that it?"

She nodded slowly, so he continued. "Alex, I could never hate you. And if you say no to something, like if you didn't want to tell me about your past, then I'd wait until you were ready. I would never hate you. What's most important to me in this world is that you are happy."

 "Okay... so, could you maybe condense that?" she said gently.

 

It took Magnus a moment, but he found the right phrase: something his mom used to say when he was scared or nervous about telling her something.

"How about this," he said simply. He gathered his courage and put his hand lightly on top of hers. A few seconds later, since his hand was still attached, he very, very gently laced his fingers through hers.

He told her, "You never have to talk to me about anything. But, if you want to... I'm here for you. I always will be."

 

 

They sat there quietly for a full minute, Alex in deep thought.

"Okay," she said quietly.

"Huh?" he asked, not hearing her.

She nodded, more sure of her decision by the second. "Okay. I think I do want to date you."

His heart skipped about a thousand beats. "Uh, are... - are you sure...?"

"Yes, Lover Boy," she teased gently. "I want to be with you, and... to be seen with you. You seem like the right type of guy for me."

 This was a really big step for Alex - to want to be  _seen_ with him. She had thick skin, but some things could break her down, no matter who was saying them.

"I don't know, are you... ? Do you... really want me as...  and you want everyone else to know?"

"I said I did, didn't I?" She smiled, rolling her eyes at how cute he was when he was flustered. "Here," she said, "this should prove it."

And then she kissed him, far more passionately than she ever had before, melding her body with his.

 

For a few seconds, he was shocked, but then he kissed her back just as passionately.

It was so amazing, ragnarok could've happened and neither of them would've noticed.

They sat there for the rest of the night kissing and holding each other.

"By the way," Alex said, "This also means we can say we love each other."

"Well then," He replied, " Alex Fierro- I love you."

She blushed and kissed him again. It wasn't like their first kiss - it was more reassuring, more comfortable. They were comfortable with each other.


	3. Simple Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More stuff and fluff!

When they got back to the hotel, their hall mates were the first to learn about their new  _official_ relationship status.

"Well those two are a lot closer now," T.J. Remarked to Halfborn.

"No kidding," Halfborn replied.

Once they'd moved their bags back into their rooms, they went to lunch with their friends.

Not able to stand it any longer, Halfborn finally asked Magnus.

"So you two have finally gotten together?" He asked between mouthfuls. "Also, do you think it counts as being gay?"

Mallory looked appalled, and swatted his shoulder.  
"You could've at least waited until after lunch, you idiot," she scolded him.  
"I'd like to eat my food rather than choke on it."

Halfborn gave his girlfriend an apologetic grin. On the other end of the table, Alex moved closer to Magnus. Even on his male days (like this one), he was a bit shy when it came to awkward situations.

"Yeah, we are together now," Magnus replied.

T.J. looked triumphant. Magnus reached out and put his hand over Alex's on the seat.

"And to answer your second question, I don't think so- he's still the same person to me. It's the same Alex Fierro." He gently patted Alex's head. "That's the part I think matters most."

Halfborn nodded thoughtfully. Alex laced his fingers through Magnus', letting him know he'd done well. Mallory swatted Halfborn again.

 

Later, Magnus went over to Alex's room. Alex was sitting in the center of his room on the grass. He had his thinking face on, but he didn't look mad, which meant it was probably safe. Magnus quietly came over and sat down beside him.

"Hey," Magnus said softly, not wanting to derail his train of thought.

"C'mon," he said, "Let's go do something fun. I don't want to think any more right now."

"Okay then," Magnus replied, wondering what Alex had been thinking about.

As he followed Alex down the hallway, something subtle changed about her (ooh ooh - maybe it was the clever use of pronouns!)- he wasn't sure what had changed, but now Alex seemed more like a girl than a guy.

"Alex," he asked. Slowly, so as not to be killed.

"Hmm?" She looked over her shoulder.

"Are- are you female now?"

She stopped walking. Magnus hoped he wasn't about to get decapitated (again).

Then she laughed and gave him a small kiss on the cheek, clearly happy with his attentiveness. "How did you notice that?"

"I don't know," he replied sheepishly. "I just... you seemed different all of a sudden."

He was proud that he could tell when Alex changed gender now. It was a special talent that so far only he had gained.

"Well- if anything- that makes me love you even more," she told him, making him blush.

They decided to go boating on Vallhalla's lake (yup).

"This one's on me, you two," the dock master said. Alex tried to offer him some red gold pieces, but he refused.  
"Seeing you two together after all that stuff with the quest is reward enough," he smiled.

"It's nice to have someone - outside of you, of course - who accepts who I am," Alex said, walking down the dock.

"What do you mean, Alex?" Magnus responded.

She flicked his shoulder. "Not now, Maggie!" She said, pretending to be annoyed with him. "We're trying to have fun right now. Let's talk about it later."

Alex and Magnus were both terrible at piloting the thing, but Alex had fun laughing at Magnus bouncing off of the dock twice, and Magnus had fun helping Alex drive (he teased her a little bit too).

 

They didn't go back to Alex's room. After they were done fooling around with the boat, they went to dinner, where Magnus got hit in the leg by a flying fork. Alex fussed over him, but it wasn't too deep a wound; by the time the meal had ended, the pain had subsided to a dull throb.

Alex didn't feel like going back to her room, so she followed Magnus to his.

After a minute of sitting quietly on the bed together, Magnus couldn't stop his curiosity any longer.  
"What were you thinking and talking about earlier?" He asked Alex sighed. "Mag-nus," she whined. "Not now."  
She burrowed under the pillows. Magnus raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe in the mor-ning," came her muffled voice.

"At least tell me what you were talking about on the dock," Magnus said.

She sighed, not wanting to bother him, but she started anyway since he asked.

"Some people in the halls and at dinner...have been yelling stuff at me, about being transgender and being with you, calling me... well, I think you can guess." She fidgeted with a corner of Magnus' blanket. "No one in our hall group, but it really bothers me."

Magnus tried to understand it from her point of view, having little success so far.

"It bothers me because..." She grasped for the right words to describe it. "Give me one guy who insults me, and I can snap his neck easily. But - I guess in a group they feel less vulnerable, like something I can't stop."

"Well how about you show me these guys next time this happens," he told her. "I'll do my best to take care of it, I promise you."

It made sense, but he found it strange - that someone who had lived on the streets alone for years could be so... vulnerable. She'd never been with anyone while she was alive, from what he'd heard, so it made sense that this subject would be touchy for her. This was a side of Alex that no one else got to see.

"I hate it when people beat up on my favorite person in the world," he finished affectionately.

Magnus wanted to ask further, but he also wanted to make Alex happy, so they sat together on his bed (Alex in her impenetrable pillow fortress) and watched movie after movie until they both fell asleep.


	4. Complex Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Magnus talk. You can probably tell what it's about. And to give you more of a feel for just how much they really love each other,
> 
> Alex is male in this chapter. 
> 
>  
> 
> audience be like 'Good luck; you'll need it!'
> 
> Here's the song: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iq4efcywca0
> 
> Don't start it until I say so!

"What about... Sex, Magnus?"

Alex blurted out the question he'd been thinking about for a while now.

Laying on Valhalla's roof of shields, Magnus turned his head to look at his love. "What - what about it?" He asked, suddenly just as nervous as Alex was.

Alex laced his fingers through Magnus'. "You know perfectly well what, you idiot."

"Yeah, but - it makes me kind of nervous to talk about it, even with you." He brushed Alex's cheek with the back of his hand.

"Well I'm nervous too, you know," Alex shot back, hitting his shoulder lazily.

Magnus darted his head forward and kissed Alex, surprising him.

"You have nothing to be afraid of my love."

"Alright," he said, going _very_ red, "Would you ever want to...  have sex with me?"

Magnus held his hand. "You're the only one for me," he told him, "so yes."

Alex let go of a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding.

 

_Can you feel the love to-night?_

 

Alex registered Magnus was making this noise, but at first he didn't fully understand it. Was Magnus... Singing for her? It was soft, almost inaudible, more like humming with words, but it was was there.

 

_It is where we are,_

_and it's enough for this star-crossed voyager, just to have gone this far._

 

"Wow," Alex breathed. "You have a beautiful voice."

"Thank you, Alex. And - What about me?" Magnus asked, turning a bit red. "Can I... am I allowed to-"

He kissed Magnus' nose, shushing him. "Yes, lover boy."

He took a breath. "Okay. Here," Magnus suggested, "how about you try the high notes?"

"Oh, I'm not much of a singer," Alex replied, slightly embarrassed.

"Neither am I," encouraged Magnus. "Do you know the lyrics?"

"Yeah," he he confessed, fidgeting with his hands.

"Alright then, I'll start."

Alex still seemed nervous, so Magnus tried to reassure her, "We're all alone on this roof, and I promise I'll kill anything that tries to tease you." he grazed Alex's cheek with his hand. "I won't laugh at you."

"Okay; I'll try." He finally agreed.

And then Magnus discovered Alex was totally understating his abilities.

 Magnus sat and stared in awe as his significant other aced every high and low note, verbrato and all. His voice soared above them like an angel, lighting up everything around it. He continued without any further prompting.

 (Start the song here)

(Magnus is in bold)

 

_There's a calm surrender_

_To the rush of day_

_When the heat of the rolling wind_

_Can be turned away;_

 

_An enchanted moment,_

_And it sees me through,_

_It's enough for this restless warrior,_

_Just to be with you;_

 

Magnus decided to join in, even though his voice paled in comparison to Alex's.

 

_**Can you feel the love tonight?** _

_**It is where we are** _

_**It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer** _

_**that we got this far** _

 

_**And can you feel the love tonight** _

_**How it's laid to rest;**_

_**It's enough to make kings and vagabonds** _

_**believe the very best.** _

 

Alex's eyes sparkled as he got up, taking his partner's hand, and began to sway in time with Magnus.

 

_There's a time for everyone,_

_if they only learn_

_That the twisting kaleidoscope_

_moves us all in turn_

 

_There's a rhyme and reason_

_to the wild outdoors_

_When the heart of this star-crossed voyager_

_beats in time with yours_

 

_(There was another chorus here, but it didn't really seem important. read this in the meantime.)_

Alex and Magnus looked deep into each other's eyes, both full of love for the other. The background seemed to fade away, replaced by a hundred different swirling kaleidoscopic patterns. Their voices both went up a half-octave, soaring to new heights, and it suddenly sounded like there was a whole chorus of angels singing backup vocals.

_**Can you feel the love tonight?** _

_**It is where we are** _

_**It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer** _

_**that we got this far** _

 

_And can you feel the love tonight?_

_How it's laid to rest;_

Alex's voice soared.

 

_It's enough to make kings and vagabonds_

_believe the very best;_

 

They finished the last verse together.

 

_It's enough to make kings and vagabonds_

_believe the very best._

 

Alex began to laugh. "Maggie, why didn't you tell me that you could sing before now?"

Magnus shrugged his shoulders. " I don't know. Why didn't you tell me _you_ could sing?"

"I don't know." He smiled at Magnus, and Magnus smiled too.

 

"Well, I think we should sing together more often," Alex said. "Also, I wanted to talk to you about another thing."

"What?"

Alex sighed nervously. "Sometimes, I shape-shift so that... so that I'm the same sexually as I am in terms of gender."

"Yeah? So... are you asking if I'm okay with that?"

"Well, sometimes, you're probably going to to want to have sex with me on male days, right? I was just - would you want me to be female, or..." his voice failed him. "I want to make you happy, so..."

He thought for a moment. "There might be one or two times where I ask you to shape-shift, or not to shape-shift, but other than that - I want you to do whatever you feel is right."

"So you want me to just... flip a coin?"

"I want you to be you as much as possible."

He nodded. "That's really nice of you, Maggie. Thank you."

"Are you male right now?" Magnus replied. "Like... sexually male?"

Alex shook his head, then leaned in and set it on his boyfriend's shoulder. "I'm the same as I usually am."

Magnus hugged him back, squeezing him. "Alright. You don't have to thank me, by the way," he said. "Just being around you is good enough for me."


	5. Alex's Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I keep writing this story, but I keep getting it wrong. I hope I get it right this time.
> 
>  
> 
> Alex has damn severe cramps.

**Magnus POV**

 

I sat up slowly, rubbing my throbbing head and waiting for my vision to clear.

Alex was standing over me, looking concerned but annoyed.

I groaned. "Did I do it again?"

She nodded. "I was in the middle of talking to you."

 

Lately, at random times, I had been unexpectedly blacking out and having visions and crazy dreams. They usually only lasted for about 10 minutes, but  _boy_ did they suck.

 

"Was it about the wolves again?" She asked curiously.

I sighed and nodded. "It was the same dream, but it was like someone had turned my emotions up to 11." 

She rolled her eyes, sighing. "Just stop passing out while I'm trying to talk, OK? It's really getting on my nerves."

"Well, it's not like I'm choosing to black out," I tried to explain. 

"Every time I try to talk to you, you do this!"

I knew something else was bothering her. Maybe something I'd done?

 

We had been strolling through the hotel since breakfast, bored out of our minds and looking for something to do. Currently, we were located on floor 19, in a hallway relatively close to our rooms. We'd been trying to find our hallmates, but they seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

I didn't see how any of this would upset her so badly, though.

"Alex," I asked in a more controlled tone, "What's going on? Is it something I can help with?"

"You don't get to just demand answers like that!" She blushed slightly, but it was obvious up close.

I crossed my arms. "Alex. Remember, you don't have to tell me, but please don't act like I'm an idiot. I know there's-"

 

"I'm On My Period, Okay?" she yelled, bushing furiously. "You wouldn't understand."

She turned away from me, as if she didn't want me to see her like this. Like she was afraid.

"You probably think it's gross, and it is, but you don't get... what it's like. It's terrible for me, Magnus."

I felt bad, but I also felt curious - mostly about why she had chosen to keep this from me until now.

But when I thought about it, I felt like I _did_ get it, even though I'd never experienced it. I tried to sense her emotions the way I could sense her gender, and the readings I got were all over the place.

"I think I kind of understand what it would be like. Cramps, bleeding, crazy emotions - I've never felt it, but I feel like I kind of understand it. And I get that you'd think I might believe it was some kind of excuse."

"That's not it." 

"Then what is?" I asked, a little frustrated.

She glared at me, her cheeks still flushed with blood. "I'm still angry at you for passing out in the middle of our conversation."

It felt like she was trying to change the subject, trying to avoid talking about it.

 

I went over to her and grabbed her hands with mine. "Why didn't you tell me? I would've understood."

She stubbornly refused to look me in the eye, glancing around at the rest of the room. She was embarrassed, and I hated to push her, especially when her clay-cutter was within reach, but it was my job to help when she needed it.

 

"Hey," I said gently. Her head turned towards mine. Her eyes betrayed just how vulnerable she was on this subject - and in this moment.

I moved one of my hands to her jaw, lovingly grazing it. "I promised that I would accept all of who you are. You don't have to hide anything from me, okay?"

"I wasn't hiding it. I was just-" Her voice failed her, and she sighed, realizing that she did. "I'll try and tell you - ow - next time."

 

I watched as she winced. "What's wrong?" I asked.

She blushed again, her words punctuated by winces. "Cra - cramps, Maggie. They're - ugh, they're - pretty bad for me."

"How about we sit down?" I suggested.

She nodded and then shook her head. We were in the hallway, and even though it was a hotel, tens of thousands of teenagers weren't exactly the easiest group to clean up after. She wouldn't want to sit on the ground - in fact, I think that bending over at that moment might have made it worse.

"Alright," I said, not sure of the right questions to ask. "How much... how much is it bothering you?"

"A - fair bit," she replied.

"Here," I instructed, "Put your arm around me. I'll help you - We should get to your room."

"Okay," she agreed.

 

After walking through three corridors as slowly as Alex needed, we had only one to go. Alex straightened a little, and her muscles seemed less tense. "It's - a little better now. Let's get back to my place before it kicks up again."

I nodded my assent, and we moved faster down the hallway, Alex still bent over slightly. As I opened Alex's door for her, she tensed up again, harder than before. " - uuh," she groaned.

A grimace spread across her face, and she was seemingly in too much pain to speak. I thought quickly about what to do. She needed to lay down, but not here. I couldn't carry her - she weighed as much as I did, and that was too much for me to safely lift, even with the Valhalla Deluxe Package boosting my muscles.

I had an idea. "Can you stand on your own?" 

She shook her head no.  

"Okay - hold on, then." I propped her against the wall as gently as possible, praying she wouldn't fall, and then sprinted into her room. I grabbed the couch - I mean literally grabbed it and lifted it - and ran back over to the entrance, setting it down just inside the door.

I sprinted back over to her. She was still grimacing in pain, the muscles in her thighs and hips straining almost visibly. I took a few quick breaths in and out and shook my arms, which were about to take a beating, and said, "Alright Alex - hold on tight."

 

I lifted her up quickly, making her whimper with pain, and stumbled sideways through the doorway so as not to hit her feet or her head on the frame. I felt like I was being crushed, but I slowly lowered her onto the couch, probably straining my back in the process.

Once she was safely on the couch, I got behind it and pushed the entire couch plus Alex back over into her living room.

 

For everyone who's slow-clapping right now, It may seem like a dumb plan, and it was. But it worked.

 It was a bit easier, since the couch was basically the same shape as a brick, and I didn't have to fight gravity - just friction. It still sucked, but it wasn't nearly as hard as lifting my girlfriend had been. I went back over to close her door, and then stumbled over to kneel down beside her.

Three minutes later, my breathing steadied, and a little while after that, Alex stopped groaning and slowly rolled over to face me. Still breathing fairly hard, she leaned over and gave me a kiss. I could almost feel the heat rolling off of her skin. 

"Thank you, *breath*, wonderful boyfriend."

"Any time." I smiled at her, and for some reason, her smiling, flushed-with-blood face was adorable, and I started to laugh - just happy that she was okay.

She started after a minute too, and it just got worse and worse from there. Now giggling uncontrollably, she clutched at her side, probably from another cramp.

 

"At least this time, it's in a different place, right?" I said jokingly.

She laughed and nodded, her giggling beginning to taper off into chuckling.

In one swift move, I boosted her up and jumped onto the couch, her body landing on top of mine.

"Hey!" She laughed again and punched me lightly in the side. "No surprise-airlifting me anymore. You nearly took off my head with the doorframe last time."

"Alright," I replied with mock-dissappiontment.

"Also, my couch is not a bobsled."

I tilted my head, a mischevious gleam in my eye. "Are you sure about that?"

"Don't you dare," she smiled and said, but I jumped over the arm of the couch anyway and began to push her couch around the room like an oversized shopping cart, making her scream with laughter. I did tight turns and loops, Alex going "whooooa!" as she held onto the sofa for dear life, her smile completely returned to its former glory.

 

Then we sat there for a while, just enjoying the feeling of not being in any immediate danger.

"Before now, I kinda just thought that you didn't have periods, since you're genderfluid," I commented.

"Every girl has periods, you doofus."

I rolled my eyes, swinging my legs, which were hanging off of the arm of her couch.

"But... you aren't female all the time. Does it just... not happen if you're male?" I asked, not very well aware of how it worked.

"Yeah," she said passively. "It never happens when I'm physically male, since it can't."

"Okay," I replied, not completely satisfied with that answer. This annoyed her a bit, and she told me a few minutes later how it worked. 

"I'm more than one gender," she explained. "I don't know exactly how it works, and I don't want to think about it, really. My female body is just... doing what it's supposed to be doing."

"Huh. Okay, cool."

We lay there in silence for a minute, just swinging our legs and staring at the ceiling.

 

"Next time, I'll tell you, okay?" she said softly. "When it starts, or right after - whichever one works out better. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this time, but the teasing has just been getting to me."

I nodded against her head so that she could tell, happy that she was being open with me.

 

And then I blacked out again.

 

My vision un-fuzzed, and the side of the couch next to me became painfully obvious, as did the new throbbing sensation in my head.

"Are you okay?" she studied me thouroughly with her eyes. "You hit your head on the coffee table when you fell."

I nodded. "I'm fine, aside from the thumping behind my eyes."

"You remember what I said, right?" she questioned.

I groaned. "You're on your period and it's messing with you a bit, so you... get angry easier, right?"

She looked relieved. "I didn't want to have to have that talk all over again."

 "Me neither." I scratched the side of my head uncomfortably.

 Then I remembered her apology. 

"Alex?"

"Yeah?"

I looked at her. "Don't be sorry. I know sharing this stuff with me might be weird. Just... go at your own pace. Tell me stuff once you're ready."

 She nodded. "Alright, Magnus."

-Later, That Night-

**Alex POV**

I woke up with a start, looking over at Magnus to see if she was alright. Spoiler alert: he wasn't.

He thrashed around, changing positions every few seconds, talking in his sleep.

"No," he said, "No, No, Don't - MOM!"

He screamed the last part, waking himself up. I looked at him and saw his eyes were full of panicky terror. He sat up faster than should've been physically possible, taking the blanket with him. I fixed that indignantly with a yank, which he didn't even notice. He looked around for something on his nightstand, apparently not finding it.

"What time is it?"

I glanced over at the clock, which was on my side. "It's 12:14."

He glanced over at me. "Do you know where Jack is?"

I shook my head and then shrugged. "He's probably still out partying  somewhere."

His breathing slowed gradually, and his knuckles, which before had been white from clutching the side of my bed, began to unclench.

"You had a nightmare, didn't you?" I asked slowly.

He nodded, looking utterly miserable. "It was..." his voice failed him.

"what was it it about?" I asked gently, trying to control my own emotions. "I'm here for you."

 

"It was about- the night my mother..." his voice shook and then failed him again.

"And there were wolves?" I didn't want to prod him, but if I wanted to help, I had to know.

He nodded, like the scared little kid he must have been that day. "They had blue eyes."

I reached out for him and pulled him into an embrace.

"It was just a nightmare," I said softly, stroking his hair. "It was just a nightmare. It wasn't real."

"Thank the gods for you, Alex." He pressed himself against me, exchanging his warmth for mine.

"It was just a dream, Maggie." I rubbed slow circles across his upper back. "How about we try again and go back to sleep?" 

He looked scared, fidgeting with the blanket. "But... what if it just starts over again?"

"Then I'll wake you up again, right away." I gently pushed him back down onto the pillows. "Now, let's get some sleep."

He nodded slowly, and I pulled the blankets back over him.

Magnus started to say, "Goodnight Alex... I lo-"

"No talking," I cut him off. "Goodnight. Sweet dreams."

He blinked, his brain shutting down, already too dim to form an argument. "Goodnight."

 

Once I knew he was asleep, I reached over and moved his hair out of his face.

"I love you too," I whispered. And that was the last thing I saw until the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. , what do you guys think would happen if Alex shape-shifted while she was pregnant?  
> would she be stuck in the female version of a given animal (or just human) body?  
> (probably not in this fic, but maybe in a newer one :)
> 
> -Whitejj01


	6. Magnus' Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Almost there - Almost together.

"How am I supposed to surprise you?" Alex ranted, "My period is finally over and  _now_ you start paying close attention? Ugh!"

 

Magnus followed her back down the hallway, Jack saying  _I told you so_ every few seconds in his head.

"Please, Alex! I said I was sorry! I didn't actually see _anything_!"

 

Sometimes, being with a genderfluid girl was frustrating. Her boyish and girly aspects were constantly overriding each other, making for one hell of a headache when he tried to reason something out with her. Sometimes, she would be tough and make all the plans. Other times, she'd expect him to do it.

"I really didn't mean to-" he rounded a corner and almost got beheaded by walking straight through Alex's garrote.

"No more excuses," she growled, pressing it under his jaw. "I want an apology."

He sighed, then started dutifully apologizing. "Alex, I'm sorry for walking in on you naked... I didn't mean to. I'm also sorry for making a dumb comment about it. Please forgive me."

She slowly lowered the wire slowly, looking off into space now.

"It's okay, Magnus. I'm sure you didn't mean to, and I... forgive you. Thank you for apologizing." She seemed far more feminine than she had a moment ago, being sweet to him. "Don't make any more dumb comments, though. Okay?"

I nodded. and we walked on more silently. After a minute or two, I couldn't stand it.

"Alex... why were you naked anyway? It's the middle of the day."

She blushed, then her expression hardened. "Well, I was... planning on surprising you, but you messed that up."

"Surprising me _naked_?" I asked impulsively.

 

"No!" she shot back, but the she stopped. She took a deep breath. "I'm not... just not right now. I'll tell you more later. I have a lot to think about right now."

"How about we go grab some lunch? We could have ribs."

She looked wistful. "I like ribs."

"Then let's go get some, huh?" He tugged gently on her elbow.

 

"Magnus?" she asked as he steered her gently down the hallway.

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to solve every problem for me, you know."

He nodded. "Yeah, I know, but-" he rubbed her shoulder, "I like taking care of things for you. I like seeing you happy."

He leaned in a little closer. "I know sometimes you want to do things yourself, and all you have to do is... say so, when that happens. I'll leave it to you." 

"I don't like being babied, though," she said, conviction in her voice. "I can't leave everything to you - it just wouldn't be right. Some things are my problems - I need to take care of them on my own."

"Just... don't stop talking to me, okay?" he said. "If you get swallowed up by these things, and I didn't do anything to stop it, I'd never forgive myself."

She slowly nodded. "I'll try and tell you if I get in over my head, but I can't promise anything."

 

He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You're really brave, you know," he told her, "You're dealing with this stuff... well, all by yourself. You don't talk about it, or complain about it at all. You're really incredible that way."

"Thank you," she said quietly. Magnus wanted to melt into a puddle whenever she said  _thank you_ like that.

 

 

The ribs were good. Alex seemed to enjoy them, anyway. She wouldn't meet his eyes, though.

 

"What's up?" Magnus asked, thinking it had been long enough.

In return he got a glare. "I said not yet, Magnus. I'll tell you when I'm ready. Besides, there are a lot of other things that I have to think about on top of... this morning."

He licked his fingers clean, and then put his hand over Alex's on the table. "You don't have to talk to me, remember? I told you before."

He laced his fingers through hers slowly and gently. "But if you want to, I'm here for you."

 

"I know you are," she replied, looking off into space again. "Just relax, Magnus. I promise I'll tell you - just give me some time to think about what to say."

"Alright," he agreed gently. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought he saw a tear in the corner of her eye.

After a minute or two of chowing down in silence, Magnus started to talk again. "I'm kinda worried about Hearth and Blitz, taking care of the Chase Space all by themselves. I don't know if they wanted that responsibility for a whole week."

"I think they're fine," she said, elbowing him in the ribs gently for effect. "They handled you for two years, all by themselves, didn't they? They'll be fine handling a bunch of mortal kids with no money and no powers. You shouldn't worry."

"Okay. I'll... try not to."

She took a second, watching me closely. "Is that all?" she asked slowly. He nodded yes, and Alex looked away, the corner of her eye sparkling like a diamond for some strange reason.

 

"Are you... crying?" he asked gently.

"No," she said, hurriedly looking away. "I'm fine, Magnus."

"I'm not trying to be pushy, Alex," he soothed. "I just want to help you, that's all."

"This isn't your responsibility," she replied a little bit sharply. "It's for me to take care of on my own, remember?"

He looked away. He knew to listen, though. That was the route to happiness.

 

 

 

Later, sitting in Alex's room, making lopsided bowls and random shapes out of clay, Magnus had managed to forget about what had happened earlier. 

He heard Alex take a deep breath, but he didn't think about it too much until she landed next to him with a thump. "You're..." she rolled her eyes and grabbed his hands gently, "Here, let me help, or you'll never get it."

Magnus watched as Alex guided his hands across the smooth surface, gently but firmly re-shaping the clay until he could see where one curve met another at an angle. Then he could see how the curves turned outward in near-perfect circles until they hit a 45-degree angle and began gently sloping toward each other again, finally meeting at a rounded point.

"There we go," Alex said with peaceful satisfaction in her voice. Magnus sat there, slightly stunned, as he held the heart-shaped bowl they'd made together.

"How do you do that?" he asked her. "How do you make such cool stuff?"

"I've loved doing this for a long time, Maggie," she said in the same peaceful voice. "Sitting here and pouring my heart into something new, something real. Something I don't have to dream about to reach."

He gave her a soft peck on the cheek. "You don't have to dream about this, Alex. It's right here - I'm right here, whenever you need me."

Her face seemed to get a little sadder. "That's not entirely what I meant, but... I guess that's another issue that I've been thinking about. I know you are, but I can't just... share everything. Some things aren't... some things are my burdens to bear, like I said..."

Her voice began to quiver. "I don't want them to weigh you down, I don't want you to feel the same way that I used to feel all the time. What if I drag you down, and you... you just..." her voice broke.

"I won't ever do that... I promise," Magnus replied softly. "Don't think about stuff that won't happen."

She looked away, her eyes stinging. "I just... I can't help it, Magnus. I want you to be happy, and I'm not sure... I can give you that. I might just make you miserable, or afraid, and... I can't let that happen, Maggie...I can't watch that happen to you... I just can't-"

He kissed her, a few tears rolling down her face and meeting his jaw instead of hers. His arms curled around her, pulling her into the warmth he offered. They stayed like that for almost a full minute.

"No more," he said when they broke apart, "No more sad thoughts. I'll never be miserable or afraid because of you. I want to help you, I want to know why you're sad, and I want to be with you... _all_ of you, even the bad parts, and the scary parts. Please, Alex... let me help. You don't have to carry this stuff all by yourself any longer..."

He held her face with his hands, caressing it gently, "Let me carry it with you."

 

She wrapped her arms around him, the thick tears now freely spilling down her face and onto his shirt, and began to sob. Horrible, heart-breakingly honest and vulnerable, all her emotions pouring out like a flood through her voice and her tears, like a dam had finally broken inside her and it was all coming out.

Nothing got held back - nothing was hidden, nothing was walled off in shame or fear of what he might think if he saw her for what she really was. Magnus saw the 16-year-old kid at her very center - scared and afraid and so, so alone. He opened himself up too, and the Magnus inside of him reached out to her. They connected and then curled around each other, just like their exterior forms.

Neither of them knew it until they'd opened their eyes, but when they connected, they began to glow - both of them, twined together so that they looked more like one being. They were healing each other - Magnus healing Alex with his powers, and Alex healing Magnus' wounds with the same energy, giving it right back to him in a continuous cycle- until both of them glowed like christian angels might, illuminating the entire room with golden light.

They stayed right there for an hour or so - just holding each other.

 

When they finally got up, both still a bit teary, she looked him in the eye. "How about we go get some dinner, huh?"

She looped her arm around him and pulled him against her. "Then I'll tell you what I was trying to do earlier."

 

Dinner went okay.

"So... you two seem closer, if that's even possible," TJ commented.

Halfborn nodded vigorously, knowing full well that he'd get killed by  _his_ girlfriend if he tried to talk with his mouth full.

 

Alex shrugged. "I suppose so." When Magnus caught her eye, she gave him a little knowing smile, like it was a special secret between the two of them.

"Alex, you seem happier today - no more crazy period stuff?" asked Mallory, who sat beside her.

She shook her head. "No more of that. I feel way better, now that it's over."

"I hope so - that's one thing boys will never understand," Mallory snorted.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Alex replied.

"Hey, you may have gotten a lucky break with beantown over there, but he's just as dense as mine when it comes to anything else."

"That is true," she agreed.

"Hey!" Magnus commented, mock-indignance filling his voice. "Be nice, cheetah girl."

Underneath the table, he bumped his hips against hers affectionately, and she smiled to herself.

 

 

Later, As they walked through his doorway, Alex suddenly laughed.

He looked at her quizzically. "What?"

"You were swaying your hips," she smirked. 

"I was?" Magnus looked down at his midsection, which wasn't even close to aligned with the rest of his body. "I don't even know how to sway my hips!"

She laughed again. "Look, you don't have to try  _that_ hard for attention," she said jokingly, "I already like you."

"Oh, stop it," he said, rolling his eyes. 

"You can't act like you weren't, 'cuz I saw it with my own eyes," she teased mercilessly.

He mimicked her earlier comment, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I open up to you and  _now_ you start paying attention?"

He grabbed onto her shoulders and pulled her backwards with the weight of his body, "UGH!"

She tripped over his feet and fell right on top of Magnus with a yelp. Luckily, they'd made it to the couch, and Magnus landed on the comparatively soft cushions, rather than the floor.

"You are a terrible person," Alex muttered, her face squished against the back of the couch.

Magnus helped her back up on top of him, where they lay breathing for a minute.

"That little prank is going to cost you five minutes."

He groaned and got up, going to the kitchen to make popcorn to pass the time.

Five minutes later he settled back beside her, leaning against her gently. "So..."

"Uh uh!" she reprimanded him, "Now you're going to wait ten _more_ minutes!"

"Awww," he whined, going limp and almost tipping her over.

"Ten minutes," she insisted in her squished-against-the-arm-of-the-couch voice, flicking on the TV.

 

Thirty minutes later, after a full episode of  _Doctor Who_ , Magnus sat there and waited - patiently, this time.

She sighed. "Well, I suppose you've been good enough."

Magnus nodded slightly.

"Earlier..." she started, taking a breath. "Earlier, I was going to surprise you, and you walked in while I was naked, right?"

Magnus nodded again.

"I wanted to surprise you... I was going to walk over here with just a shirt and some shorts, and I was going to ask if you... If you wanted to have..."

She didn't actually say it, but he got the idea. "Oh," he said intelligently.

She blushed intensely. "I just felt really attracted to you, and it's not the first time that's happened, so I wanted to go and..." Her voice failed her.

 

Magnus looked at her. "Do you - still want to?" he asked in a small voice. "If you want to, I'm... I'm more than ready."

"Not right now, but - maybe soon," she said. "I kinda need it, and I had a feeling you might be needing it too, so... that's why this happened."

"I have been kinda feeling the same way lately, ever since we talked about it on the roof."

She sighed again. "I was hoping it would be a bit... romantic, I guess, but since you saw me..."

"I only saw your thighs," He said. "I got just above your knees before I assumed that you were naked, and I looked away. You were pretty much naked that first night at the water park, but-"

"I had underwear and a bra on, at least," she lamented. "So... you looked away, and then at my face?"

"Yeah. I tried to tell you before, but you were kinda mad, so you might not have heard me."

 "So..."

"I haven't seen anything more inappropriate than your thighs," he assured her. "Promise. And you haven't seen me at all, except for... at the water park."

Alex sighed a third time. "You had boxers on, though."

"Yeah, I did," he confirmed, "So... I suppose it could still be romantic... couldn't it?"

"It could," she agreed.

 

They sat there in an uncomfortable silence for half a minute or so, and Alex got up the nerve to continue.

"So... would you want to - do it soon?" she managed, her words coming out in small bunches.

He nodded, turning his head to face her. "When..."

"How about tomorrow?" she suggested, feeling awkward now, "I want it to be soon."

"So do I," he said. "How about we meet... in that one garden on floor one twenty-six, after dinner?"

"But won't... somebody see us?"

He shook his head. "TJ suggested it a while ago. He said no one ever goes in there after 5 o'clock, so... it would be private."

He fiddled with his toes absent-mindedly. "If you're really worried about it, I can ask Hunding to seal it off after we go in."

 

"Please do," she said, turning toward him and leaning in, resting her head next to his. "I can't wait to finally do this with you."

"If we get there, and you want to be on top, that's fine," he teased, wriggling his eyebrows. "Sometimes I know you like to be in control."

Alex smacked his shoulder lightly, blushing a deep shade of magenta. "That's not fair."

"No, no," he said obstinately. "You had to tease me, so I'm paying you back."

He laughed a little at her embarrassed expression, then continued. "Also, I'm not just teasing you." he leaned over, breathing on her ear. She shivered. "If you feel like it, then you should be."

"O-okay," she said a little breathily. She almost panted, but she forced herself to keep control.

"Woah, slow down," he told her, sensing that she was very feminine at the moment. "I don't want you to get too excited until we actually get there."

That earned him another light smack on the shoulder. "No more teasing, or I might revoke your invitation," she threatened.

He closed his mouth, knowing full well what was good for him. He kissed her on the lips quickly, surprising her and making her jump a little.

"Let's watch some more TV, before I change my mind," she said, only a little bit jokingly. 

 

They sat there for the rest of the evening, watching TV and munching the buttery popcorn until they got tired. Then they got up slowly, taking their time, and changed into their pajamas.

Once Magnus was done, he turned around to find his girlfriend in a thin t-shirt and pajama shorts.

"Alex?" he asked. This wasn't at all like her - she always covered her entire body, wearing pants and long-sleeved shirts whenever they slept in the same bed.

"Do... do you like it?" she asked in a small voice.

"I love it," he said, not knowing what else he _would_ say.

"I never dress like this, so I wasn't sure what you'd think, but - I didn't want to be completely covered. I wanted to be a little bit more open with you, since we're going to be together. You know... physically," she got out.

"Like a sneak peek, almost?"

"Not... quite," she replied. "I just... wanted to be closer to you, and all the clothes were going to get in the way."

Magnus gently nodded his consent. "I like you like this. Well, I like you all the time, but... it's nice that you want to be closer to me."

He blushed and looked at his feet. "You know what I mean."

She went around the bed and pressed herself against him, her bare legs touching his. She wrapped her arms around him, just above his waist, and pulled him against her.

"I know what you mean, Maggie."

 

She disentangled herself from him and pulled him gently into the bed, coming to rest just next to her under the warm, heavy blankets. Their bare shoulders touched, their legs winding around each other, and he pulled her against him - every part of them touched, except for the spot just below their belly buttons.  _That_ was for tomorrow night.

 

"'Night, Magnus," she sighed peacefully.

"Goodnight, Alex," he replied, slipping into another world.

 


	7. Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright folks, here it is at long last! 
> 
> Warning: This chapter is full of mature content. Don't like, Don't read, Don't hate.
> 
> To the average reader: Nobody's going to be bothered if you get yourself off during this chapter. In fact, everyone else is probably doing the same thing, so relax.
> 
> If anyone would like the soundtrack for this chapter, go ahead and put this on repeat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhJILVW7vlE
> 
> Enjoy!  
> -Whitejj01

Alex heard the doors close behind them with a soft  _click_. She shivered, even though it wasn't cold at all. She'd finally get to be with him now.

"Alright- let's find a good spot," Magnus said.

"If we don't hurry up, I might just pin you to the ground and do it with you right here, Chase," she teased/threatened playfully. 

"Alright, I'm excited too," he replied with a small smile on his face. "No need to be aggressive."

 

Valhalla never understated anything, and the floor 26 garden was no exception - it was enormous, consisting of one large main room split into 4 separate climates by huge glass walls. The ceiling gave them a beautiful view of the night sky, and the crickets buzzed everywhere, making it feel like they really were out in the woodlands of Midgard.

 

They found a small clearing in the temperate forest section, about the same size as their atriums, full of soft grass and surrounded by enough trees to keep it feeling private and intimate, even in this massive greenhouse-style space.

"Why did you pick this garden, anyway?" Magnus asked her. "Why not just... the mansion?"

She squeezed his hand, which she'd been holding since they met at the entrance. "We wouldn't get any privacy at the mansion. And... I don't know why we're outdoors instead of indoors. It just kinda feels right, since we both love nature... for us to be here."

Magnus nodded, understanding what she was saying. "Alright. What do think about this little clearing?"

 

She could feel a weird buzzing in her ears, like this particular spot had been tuned to the right frequency. "This is it," she said quietly. "This is the place."

"So... How do we start?"

Alex had dreaded this moment ever since she'd proposed it the other day - she was afraid she wouldn't know what to do, or what to say. She usually be confident around him, but now she had no idea how to begin.

"I... I'm not sure." She studied the ground. "I'm sorry, I wanted to be ready for this, but I don't know what to do."

Magnus took her other hand in his, facing her. "Here," he said gently, using one hand to lift her chin and raise her head, "how about we start like this."

He leaned in for a kiss, coming 90% of the way, and Alex, after hesitating for a moment, closed the gap completely, kissing him deeply and lovingly. She felt the tension and anxiety that had been building up slowly leave her. This was part of the reason why she loved him - he didn't scare easily, and he'd try something new any day if it would benefit someone else. He was so sweet - he deserved a medal at least, maybe more.

After a minute, the kiss began to evolve into something more passionate. Alex knew what she wanted to do, now that the moment of tension had passed - she licked his lips, asking for permission to enter, but he didn't seem to get it. She pulled away, leaving her lips cold and distant from his.

"What is it?" He asked hesitantly. 

She almost got angry with him, but the look in his eyes calmed her down - almost like he was just as nervous as she was.

"When I lick your lips, you open them, alright?" She told him kindly. "Just trust me, Maggie."

He nodded gently and she leaned back in, pressing her lips against his once more. She slowly licked his lips again and this time they parted for her, allowing her tongue to brush over and around his. She felt the ridges of his teeth, then maneuvered back down to meet his tongue with hers. Magnus made contented noises, which sounded a lot like her own. She could feel the area between her legs beginning to heat up just a little.

They did this for another minute or so and then Alex pulled away. Magnus almost asked what was wrong, but then he saw her eyes - they were full of lust. He knew she wanted him, but he was still stunned as he watched her, transfixed.

She sat down in the grass, and he did the same.

Then she ever-so-slowly gripped the hem of her shirt and began to gently lift it, pulling it up over her shoulders and then over her head, leaving her hair standing on end. Magnus smirked a little at that, but he reached over and smoothed it down for her.

He's seen her like this before - just a simple black bra covering her upper body - but he still couldn't help staring at her, his eyes roving over every line and curve, appraising her.

He was pulled back into the real world by the sound of Alex's voice. "Once you're done ogling me, you should take your own shirt off," she said with a smirk. She met his eyes as they moved up to her face, and he quickly glanced away, blushing madly.

"Sorry, Alex. It's just..." He shrugged slightly and smiled, "you're... beautiful. It's kinda hard not to stare, even though I've seen this before."

Now it was her turn to blush.

 

He peeled off his shirt and set it beside hers on the grass. Then he stopped and looked down at the grass, nervous.

She reached over and gently grabbed his wrists, maneuvering them so his hands were on her shoulders. "It's alright, Maggie," she said soothingly. "I'm just as nervous as you are, I promise. I'm not gonna bite."

He nodded, catching her eye. "I was just... remembering the first time you killed me, on your first day here." He smiled a little. 

"How about if we do this," she said gently, lifting his pendant from around his neck and setting it on top of his shirt. Luckily, Jack was asleep, so he didn't notice. Then she unclasped her garrote from around her waist and set it beside his pendant. "That any better?"

He nodded, looking a little less tense. "Yeah."

"Alright - go ahead. You have my permission."

He took a breath, and began to slowly slide his hands down the front of her shoulders, slowly moving them under her arms and them around to her back. He gently grasped the hook that held her bra in place and unlatched it, slowly pulling the two sides back around and under her arms, until her bra came off completely.

Magnus stared in wonder. They were... beautiful - just as beautiful as the rest of her body, and maybe even more than that. They weren't small, but they weren't massive, either - just the right size for his hands to fit comfortably around each of them. He loved it - that he didn't have to worry around Alex like he usually did. He knew she'd forgive him if he screwed up, and everything would be okay as long as she was there.

He slowly slid his hands up past her bra line, gently grazing over her beautiful skin, making his way upwards until he reached her nipples. He put his index fingers against them gently, and saw her shiver just a little. He wasn't sure what to do from here, so he slowly brought the rest of fingers up and let his palms slide over her nipples until his hands were gently wrapped around her breasts.

 

She opened her eyes to see him looking at her questioningly. She giggled a little, making him blush again, then reached up and placed her hands over his - squeezing her breasts, showing him what to do. He slowly copied the motion, squeezing them gently, almost affectionately, and then removed his hands. He placed his forefingers and thumbs on either sides of the pink nubs in the center.

He pressed his fingers together around her nipples, gently pinching them. He heard her breath hitch slightly.

He had an idea - he put his hands against her shoulders and pushed her back slowly. Her eyes opened for a moment, but then she shut them again and allowed herself to fall back into the grass. 

He hovered over her, legs folded under him, and began to roll her nipples back and forth experimentally, instead of pinching them. Her breath began to rise and fall audibly, her stomach moving up and down in time with it. He continued his motion for a few minutes, varying the motions between pinching, rolling, and flicking, until she stopped him.

 "I need more, Magnus," she said, her voice full of lustfulness, and her hands closed over his right hand. She slowly moved it downwards, over her stomach, over her belly button, past her hips... and put it against the waistband of her pants.

He got the message and grasped them, hooking his thumbs through her panties as well, as she lifted her hips off the ground to let him remove them. He slid them past her thighs and then her knees, then over her feet and off completely.

Alex's heart skipped a beat - she was completely open to him now. What would he think?

He mumbled something that she couldn't quite hear. "What?" She asked him, a hint of embarrassed anger in her voice.

"Gods of Asgard, you're beautiful," he said. He looked her in the eye and smiled gently, and her fear melted away.

He didn't need any instruction this time - he started at her belly button and traced his way downwards, stopping momentarily at the start of her flower. Then his finger continued.

It went over her clit, making her gasp, which he took note of. He traced over her entrance, and then down over her asshole, only stopping once he'd reached her tailbone. He could hear her taking shallow breaths. "Keep going," she said quietly, encouraging him. 

He traced his way back to her clit and studied it for a moment. Then he rubbed it in a circle experimentally, and heard her moan - he loved that sound. He was pretty sure it meant that she loved it, so he repeated the motion, making her moan again. He smiled to himself. Then he began to rub his finger back and forth over it, hearing her panting along in time with it.

"Yeah- that's it- ohh, yes-" Alex said in between pants.

Magnus could tell that he was doing the right thing - it was more than obvious from the sounds she was making - but he felt like he could be doing more. He looked at her slit and, after a moment, he realized what it was.

Alex felt Magnus stop all of a sudden. She made a noise of complaint, and she was about to sit up, when she felt Magnus' finger slide into her just a little, making her moan loudly and fall back onto the grass.

He pushed it in further until he'd inserted his entire index finger into her. She moaned, "keep.. going, Magnus. You've got it."

"It's so... wet." He commented. "I like it." He wiggled his finger inside of her for effect, and she giggled at the funny sensation.

He felt more confident now. He slid his finger slowly back out of her, stopping just before it left her entirely, and thrust it back inside, making her breath hitch.

"Here - curl your finger," she told him.

He did so, and felt a weird surface against his fingers - almost like a sponge. He slid his digit cautiously out of and then back into her, this time keeping his finger curled and hitting the spongy area.

"O- oh, gods, that's perfect, right there," she said quietly, caught up in the pleasure.

He repeated this motion to the same effect, and then began to build up a steady rhythm, pulling it out most of the way and then pounding it back in at a medium speed, over and over again.

Before long, Alex was humping cutely against his hand, which he found both adorable and incredibly arousing. He added another finger for his next thrust on pure instinct, hitting twice as much spongy surface as before, and she made a noise of surprise, responding by thrusting against his hand even harder.

Alex tried hard to resist her instincts, which were telling her to press her legs together, but it got more and more difficult with each thrust.

He reached up with his thumb and rubbed her clit at the same time, making her yelp and move faster still. How was he able to do this to her? He couldn't even dive into the water correctly, let alone do... this. Then again, he did have her help, so anything was possible.

She pounded against his digits with wild abandon, loving how perfectly they hit that spot inside her. She could tell that she was nearing her climax, so she managed, "Magnus - I'm almost-" Thankfully he understood and went as fast as he could without endangering her, ramming into her over and over again.

A few thrusts later, Alex felt an overwhelming wave of pleasure wash over her as she came hard, her entire body convulsing, her hips still thrusting against his hand on autopilot. Cum spilled out of her onto Magnus' hand, which he licked curiously. It tasted good - tart, almost. He loved it, licking the rest off of his fingers.

"You... are... amazing..." Alex panted a minute later, the last word breaking into a laugh.

"I did okay?" He asked, smiling a little, wanting to make sure that he'd done a good job.

"More than okay... that was better... better than I've felt in a... long, long time." She smiled at him, sitting up slowly and taking a minute to catch her breath.

 

She looked at him after a few minutes, smiling darkly. "Now I get to return the favor."

She put her hand against his bulging erection, which was now harder than it had ever been. She pulled off his shorts and then his underwear, wanting to not waste any time.

It wasn't massive, like she'd been afraid of - it was a little more than average for his age, reaching and slightly surpassing 7 inches.

Magnus was blushing like crazy, until Alex looked up at him and said, "Perfect." She smiled at him reassuringly. "If it were any bigger, it might hurt me."

She traced a squiggly line down its front. "Nobody really thinks about it - if you're too large, you might hurt your partner or yourself just getting ready. In fact, it might still be... just a little big for me, so we should be careful." She gave him what she hoped was a sexy smile.

Magnus nodded his head, not wanting to ever hurt her. "So... what are you gonna do?"

She smirked. "This." quick as lightning, she ducked her head down and wrapped her mouth around him gently, making him shudder and gasp slightly.

She laughed at his response with his shaft still in her mouth, which made him . She took a breath to steady herself, and then began.

She began to slowly move up and down over his cock, bobbing her head, occasionally wrapping her tongue around him, which made him involuntarily moan. She pressed her lips a little harder against his shaft, creating the friction he needed.

"Wow, Alex... you are... so good ahh - this."

She smiled around his dick and moved faster, feeling him poke the back of her throat. She went lower, taking even more of him into her mouth, and the end of it slid a little ways into her throat. She gagged involuntarily, making her eyes water.

"Sorry," Magnus said with a sheepish and embarrassed grin. She held up her hand, then just her index finger - _I'm okay, just give me a_ _second_. 

After she adjusted to the feeling, she started up again, almost deep-throating him now. Magnus moaned and grunted in time with her thrusts, his arms barely keeping him from collapsing backwards into the soft grass.

A minute later, he was getting close. "Alex..." He warned her, but she kept bobbing up and down. A second later she gave him a thumbs-up, letting him know that she'd heard him.

Then he came, releasing several strands of cum into Alex's mouth. Not a ton, like all the stories say people do, but just enough. She swirled it around, tasting it. After considering what to do for a moment, she swallowed it, surprising him.

She smacked her lips. "You taste good - sorta salty," she said, smiling happily. "I intend to taste a lot more of you in the future."

"Yeah... sorry that happened so fast," he said apologetically.

"It's fine." she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "It's only our first time. It's not going to be totally perfect."

"Well, it's been perfect so far," he said. "What now?"

 

They both knew what came next - the final step. Neither of them wanted to say it, though - they were both still a bit embarrassed.

"The..." Magnus started.

Alex nodded her head, fidgeting with her fingers slightly. "Yeah, that."

She decided to start it off by slowly lowering her body onto the grass again.

"Magnus... I know this is a bit embarrassing, but there's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I... okay," he agreed nervously. He crawled over beside her and then climbed on top of her.

"A little lower," she said gently, and he slid down her body just slightly, but it was enough.

"Alright, that's good." she grazed over one of his cheeks lovingly, wanting to stay here, in this moment, with him, forever. Then she reached down slowly and deliberately, wrapping her hand around his shaft, positioning it just outside her flower. She looked him in the eye. "You know what to do?"

He nodded. "Are you..." he took a breath to steady himself. "Are you sure, Alex?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked lovingly. "There's no one in the nine worlds that I'd rather do this with."

He looked down at her stomach. "I just... this is your first time, right?"

She nodded, letting go of his dick. "It's yours too, right?"

"Yeah. I just... don't want to take that from you if you aren't really ready yet."

"You mean my virginity?" she asked, a hint of laughter in her voice.

She saw his cheeks turn a cute shade of red. "Yeah."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Magnus, I'm a shape-shifter, remember? I can go back to being a virgin any time I want." She wrapped her hand around him again and squeezed, hearing his breath hitch. "Now c'mon. I'm getting cold, and I don't like being cold at all."

"Okay - here we go." He began to slide forward gently, his tip pressing against her and then slipping inside, making her gasp. Her tunnel had to stretch a little to acommodate him, causing a little discomfort, but that was offset by the pure ecstasy of finally,  _finally_ doing this with him, feeling him slowly slide into her.

Magnus' instincts told him to ram straight into her, all at once, but he'd decided that he was just going to slowly slide into her without stopping to minimize the pain for her. He felt her hands slide over his back. He continued to slide into her gently.

"Halfway there," he said quietly into her ear.

"You're doing really good so far," she said, struggling to breathe a little with the waves of happiness and pleasure washing over her.

A half-minute later, he felt his tip pushing against some sort of thin barrier, the pressure behind it building quickly. Alex could feel it too, like a wall inside her was getting ready to tear.

"This might hurt a little," he said.

"I know - I read up on this stuff a long time ago," she said, wrapping her legs around him tightly.

A second later, he broke through, making her hiss with pain. He knew he had to keep going, though - that would help. He felt her nails momentarily scratch against his back, almost drawing blood, but he blocked it out, continuing to push into her slowly and gently.

Then he was done. All seven inches were inside of her.

Alex's hands unclenched, and Magnus watched as a single tear rolled down her cheek. He reached down and wiped it away lovingly. Her breathing steadied, and the concentrating-on-not-killing-anyone look disappeared from her eyes, replaced by a sort of... peacefulness.

"Better now?" he asked sweetly.

She nodded. "Sorry I scratched you."

He kissed her lovingly. "It's okay. It's our first time, remember - it isn't going to be totally perfect."

"Well, you're doing a good job making it perfect so far." she said wistfully. 

 

After a minute, Magnus carefully opened his mouth again. "What is it like?" he asked gently.

"I feel... full," she said. "If that's even the right word, and I'm not sure that it is. I feel really full. What's it like for you?"

He laughed and smiled down at her. "Like my dick is getting a really fierce hug."

She giggled and smiled at him, which made him happy - he loved seeing her laugh. "Well, it deserves it. Magnus, you're doing a really amazing job so far."

"You ready for the next part?" he asked. "Sorry to rush through this part, I just-"

"Need it? I know, me too. I'm ready when you are."

 

"Alright." He slid most of the way out of her, careful not to move  _too_ fast, then pushed back in.

There was a little discomfort for Alex, just like before, and this time it was replaced not by pain but by pleasure - waves of it rolled over her, making her moan a little - he'd managed to hit the same spot as earlier without any assistance. It must have felt the same way to Magnus, because she could hear him grunt with pleasure above her.

He repeated the process, sliding out of her and then pushing back in, accompanied by more moaning, this time from both of them. He began to rhythmically move in and out of her, and it felt great, but they both needed more. Magnus waited for permission, making her happiness top priority.

"Go faster," she ordered.

He nodded and increased the tempo, making her gasp slightly. Alex's hips began to rise to meet his, trying to create even more friction between their two most intimate and private parts.

They moaned along with each other, like the world's most dissonant yet beautiful two-part harmony. Alex began to thrust against him even harder, giving him orders in her head:  _Yes, faster, harder, C'mon, yeah, that's it!_

Then, without even thinking about it, without being prepared, she felt herself shift.

Magnus felt it too, gently tapering off his thrusts to nothing, waiting to see how she would react to this new development:

Alex was male now.

 

/AN: from here on out, I'll be staying with the female pronouns, since she's still sexually female and it gets confusing otherwise - boyfriend is still used instead of girlfriend, though./

 

She breathed heavily, the pleasure tapering off. "Oh gods," she said, her voice filled with unhappiness. "Magnus, I'm sorry. I..." her voice failed her.

Magnus saw her sadness. "No, it's okay, don't be sorry," he said gently to her, trying to reassure his lover.

"No, I wanted this to be normal. Just..." she shrugged miserably, wondering why this had to happen to her now. "I wanted it to be perfect. I know I said it wouldn't be, but... I wanted it to be romantic, and sweet, and intimate, the way normal couples do it, but-"

"Alex, it's okay." he cupped her cheek gently. "We're a normal couple, and it's okay for this to happen. What kind of terrible boyfriend would I be if I wasn't okay with this?"

"You probably don't want to.." her voice broke from the sadness and embarrassment packed behind the words.

"No, I do," Magnus said gently to her. "I do, as long as you want to."

"But I... I messed it up." 

"No you didn't," he told her, sure of what he was saying. "Alex, It's okay, I promise. I accept you, remember? All of you, even the parts you're afraid I won't like."

He gave her a kiss. "You didn't mess it up. It wouldn't be sex with Alex Fierro if I wasn't with  _all_ of Alex Fierro, male _and_ female."

Now that he said it, he realized it was true - it wouldn't have felt right if he'd just done it with female Alex. He wanted to embrace every part of her, both male and female.

"Al-alright," she said, sniffling a little. "You can keep going, if you really still want to."

"I do." He remembered the comment he'd made yesterday. "Hey, Alex - you want to be on top?"

Alex took a second to think about it. Then she nodded, her eyes still a little watery. "Yeah, I do."

"Okay." Magnus began to pitch sideways, rolling them both over so that his boyfriend could be on top. Alex, once they finished the roll-over process, re-positioned herself slightly on top of her lover so that she could ride him. Then she began to bounce up and down on Magnus' dick, making them both gasp and then moan out loudly as they resumed their previous activity.

Alex was more happy and content than she would've thought possible - even with the terrible timing of what had just happened, Magnus still wanted her.  _All_ of her. She forgave everything that her stupid boyfriend had ever done wrong in that moment. He deserved it - he'd managed what Alex had thought impossible for the longest time, something no other person had ever done. He'd  _accepted_ her. 

Add to that the immense pleasure that Magnus was giving her, and she was in heaven.

 

Magnus felt himself begin the slow build-up he'd experienced before with female Alex and upped his speed accordingly.

"Oh, yeah, Harder Magnus, faster!" Alex begged him, wanting more and more. Magnus had no problem with this, thrusting his dick up into her whenever she came down on it.

Alex's flower made various wet noises as it rammed against Magnus' shaft, lubricating both of them, making it easier to move smoothly with each thrust.

Magnus thrusted even harder against his boyfriend. Alex could feel him ramming up against another wall - she assumed that must be her cervix. The juice inside Alex's tunnel made it easy for the front inch of him to move past this new barrier without any pain.

As they pounded against each other harder and harder, Alex's moans and gasps went up a half-octave. She felt something poking against her stomach. She looked down and saw the very tip of Magnus' dick outlined every half-second against the rest of her smooth tummy. She would've laughed, but she was too busy gasping in pleasure as Magnus pounded into her,  their two organs squelching from momentary suction each time they separated. 

"Mag-nus-" he got out as he felt his climax approaching. Magnus could feel his coming too.

"Do you...want me...to-" he asked in between pants.

"No, in-side," she managed.

Magnus nodded and sped up even more, pouring all his energy into this one task, smashing their bodies together over and over and over again, the pleasure overwhelming them. Alex pounded against him for all she was worth, moaning and sighing and gasping and trying not to pass out.

 

With a few more thrusts, Magnus felt his dick pulse inside of her. He felt a huge amount of pressure that had been building behind his shaft get released in a fraction of a second as he came, his cum spraying up into Alex's uterus, his eyes snapping shut, his dick still pumping into her on sheer instinct.

A moment later, Alex came too, screaming and moaning her head off, her tight walls clenching around Magnus, trying to milk every bit of cum out of him. Alex's already full tunnel flooded with her own juices. There was so much pressure inside that some of it made it past Magnus' shaft, leaking out of her soaking wetness and dripping down onto the ground.

Alex, still gasping, collapsed on top of her boyfriend and lay there, breathing heavily.

Magnus looked down at his only love, watching as Alex's body rested on top of his own rising and falling chest. He wrapped his arms around her.

 

A few minutes later, Magnus whispered in his ear. "I love you."

"I love you too," Alex whispered back.

 

They fell asleep right there in the grass, Magnus still inside of Alex, into the best sleep that either of them had had in a long, long time.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	8. Waking Up

Soft sheets.

I don't remember falling asleep under soft sheets.

 

There's something hard jammed against my thigh.

 

Magnus is under me.

I don't have any clothes on, and I'm pretty sure that's his bare skin against mine.

 

I never want to move again. His skin against mine, his arms around me - it just feels so right, or maybe true is the right word.

No, it's not. There is no word to describe this. Let's go with  _perfect_ as a placeholder.

 

So completely perfect.

 

 

 

Wait...

did we...

 

-3rd Person

 

Magnus woke up a few moments after Alex. He slowly regained cognitive function, unwrapping his arms from around Alex to stretch them.

 

Unlike his girlfriend, he'd remembered the instant his eyes opened what had happened the previous night. He was in love with Alex Fierro so much that he never wanted to move again. They'd finally gone all the way, and nothing could have been better than the feeling he had right now - like he was a puzzle piece, and this was the one place in the nine worlds where he _really_  fit.

 

He saw her open eyes and kissed her, so madly in love that that was the only thing he ever wanted to do again. She kissed him back after a millisecond of surprise, which was okay. He wasn't used to it, either.

After a minute or two, she pulled away for air. Oh, wait -  _She._

Magnus had automatically started using the right ponouns. And he had just realized it.  _Meta Awareness Award!_

"Good morning, beautiful."

She rolled her eyes, but she didn't really put any effort into it. "Good morning, Magnus."

 

Magnus could feel something pressing against his thigh, too.

"Uh, are you..." he started, asking gently.

Alex got his meaning and did a quick mental check. She blushed. "Oh, uh, sorry. Sometimes, this happens- when I wake up."

"No big deal," he told her. She started to ask if he was sure, but he reassured her with another quick light kiss.

"You wanna get up?" she asked lazily.

"Not really. Do you?"

She shook her head. "By the way, how are we in your room?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "The Norns being nice to us?"

She shrugged, mumbling her words out of blissful laziness. "I guess. Sure was nice of them."

She started to check if their clothes had teleported with them, but Magnus clung to her, so she ended up just rolling onto her side next to him.

"Magnus," she said in a whiny voice, not feeling particularly argumentative. "Let go."

"I don't wanna," he replied in the same voice. "Stay here. You're warm, and I hate being cold."

She pried his hands gently from around her waist, making him whimper with longing.  _Gods_ , he was so adorable when he did that - like a lost puppy that wanted love. She almost went back over to him, but she forced herself to check the floor next to the bed for clothes. They weren't there, except for her garrote and her underwear.

She groaned to herself. "Magnus, you  _do_ have other clothes than just that one T-shirt, right?" she asked, already slightly stressed about it.

"Um, yeah, I do," he said.  

"Okay." she dragged herself off the bed, barely sustaining her own willpower, and walked over to his closet, grabbing the only other thing that was inside it: a gray hoodie, with the word GAP printed across the front.

She smiled to herself, slipping it over her head and walking back over. It was a little big on her, but it was super soft and warm.

"Hey Maggie," she said.

"Yeah?" he rolled over onto his side and looked at her.

"You know what GAP stands for?"

"No."

She pointed to each of the letters in turn. "Gay - and - proud."

He groaned and rolled over, covering his face with a pillow to try and hide his smile. "No teasing this early in the morning."

She pouted, even though he couldn't see, and came back over, climbing once more under the covers.

"You don't have to be so sensitive about it," she said gently. "I was just kidding."

He rolled back over. "I know, Alex. Ugh... my blood sugar is at negative one."

 "Mine too." Now that she thought about it, that was probably the reason her willpower barely existed.

She felt his arms wrap around her waist and she scooched towards him, nestling against his chest. She could hear his heart beating -  _da dum, da dum, da dum, da dum,_ like a calming drumbeat.

"You look really sexy in that," he said wistfully.

"You think so?" she asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice, a light red hue spreading across her cheeks. Typically, Alex couldnt've cared less about what other people thought, but with Magnus - she knew he'd never judge her, never lie to her, never  _leave_ her. He loved her too much.

"Of course I do." he replied, a small smile playing across his lips.

She blushed an even deeper red. "Thank you."

Magnus _still_ wanted to melt into a puddle every time she said  _thank you_ like that.

"Well, you look sexy all the time. Sorry I never had the courage to say it before now."

Alex couldn't stop blushing for the next five minutes - or kissing him, for that matter. This one was a bit more passionate. It said, _G_ _ood job, Maggie. You really are helping me - more than you know._

She pressed the rest of her body against him, forgetting that they were both a bit sensitive at the moment.

She heard Magnus grunt from the friction her underwear created against his. She almost moaned aloud, biting her lip.

"Sorry, sorry," she apologized.

"Alex, it's okay," he promised. "It's just... the morning, that's all. Happens to everyone."

Alex thought for a second, her brain still not functioning at full capacity. She ground her hips experimentally against his, biting her lip again and groaning inside her mouth. Magnus did the same, albeit with less lip-biting and more noise.

 _Alright,_  her conscience said _, that's enough. take it slow._

She shape-shifted to her typical female body. She could tell that Magnus knew - like some sort of link had formed between them, or the one that had been there before had grown stronger.

"Alright. C'mon, Smooth talker," she said playfully, glancing over her boyfriend at the clock on his side of the bed. "It's time for breakfast."


	9. Announcement (February 2018)

Guess What?

Lots of hiking.

Lots of head trauma (no, it's not Alex's fault this time:).

And, as always, lots of heart.

 

**SEASON 2**

**COMING SOON**

****(Special thanks to I_Need_An_Alex_Fierro)


	10. Life Is Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between, I present to you The Love We Share : Season 2!
> 
> Absolutely all over the place and a complete mess, but there it is :)

CHAPTER 1

 

\---Magnus POV---

 

**Breakfast was weird.**

 

To say the least.

 

We'd put on some clothes, not entirely checking that they were our own, and strolled slowly down to the Floor 19 cafeteria for some much-needed breakfast.

 

As we walked in, Alex seemed to falter for a moment - nerves, maybe?

 

It was almost like everyone could detect what had happened - maybe Heimdall had taken some pics of us passed out on the grass together last night.

 

I squeezed her hand slightly, wondering what she was up to in there.

“It's fine,” she said after a moment. “It's nothing. C’mon, let's eat already. Sex is hard work.” She cracked a smile to comfort me.

 

I smile back and we continued.

 

Walking in, all 3 heads at our usual table popped up in perfect unison. All around us, people were muttering, though I couldn't discern any words in particular.

 

We walked to the buffet table, grabbed plates, and began to fill them - eggs, bacon, sausages, and Earl Gray tea for Alex; toast, a bite-sized chocolate croissant, and a gigantic slice of a Colorado omelette for me.

 

The whispers and mumbled comments became even less discernible as we came to our table, and disappeared entirely as we sat down. I doubted anyone else could see, but the green-haired devil beside me was blushing slightly.

 

"Well, somebody finally woke up and saw the sun," Mallory said, snickering and eyeing Alex, who was still wearing my shirt under her sweater vest.

Apparently, she'd switched roles with her boyfriend and become the chief gossip-girl. Halfborn knew better than to interfere, knowing that you didn't tease Alex about super-intimate things like this unless you liked large amounts of pain.

"Hey, don't antagonize them. It's their business." T.J. told her, a little annoyed. "Let's just eat breakfast."

"Good choice," Alex muttered, digging into her huge plate of bacon and eggs.

  

“Nice undershirt, Alex,” she said in an off-hand tone that was very obviously intentional. I saw her look down and realized that she was in fact wearing my shirt.

 

TJ punched Mallory in the shoulder.

"Thank you," I said.

"She earned it," he said, returning Mallory's annoyed stare.

 

After 10 minutes of staring, she apparently decided that it wasn't worth the lack of mutton in her mouth, and went back to eating.

 

As Alex finished her food, I grabbed her hand. "C'mon, I have a cool idea," I said quietly.

"Should I start picking out flowers?" Mallory persisted. T.J. tried to flick her again, but the red-haired demon whipped out her knife so fast that she sliced T.J.'s finger off.

"Ow!" He shot the red-head a glare.

"That's what you get," she said with a shrug.

"And look at that, now there's a finger in my omelette." He moved to point at her, but quickly switched hands when he noticed he no longer had the right finger for the job. "I'll get you for this later."

"Oh yeah? Bring it!"

Alex leaned over to me with a slight smirk. "Okay, I've gotta agree with you on this one. We should probably leave before they start chopping each other up."

 

\---

 

In the hallway, we ran into a raven.

 

Almost literally.

 

There I was, happy as a clam, walking down the hallway with my favorite person in the world to get ready for a wicked surprise hiking trip - when out of nowhere, a rather raggedy-looking black-feathered bird shot over our heads and crashed into the spear-torch directly behind us.

 

I must've jumped about 3 feet into the air.

Alex rushed to its side - after a moment, it hopped back to its feet, seemingly unfazed, and extended its leg to her. There was a note attached, which she tugged off.

 

“It’s… holy crap, it's from Hearthstone!” she said.

 

Unrolling the letter, she held it up so I could read it over her shoulder:

 

_Help_

 

_Blitz chained to bed_

 

_No clothes_

 

_Stuck outside_

 

_Spiky hair is not friendly_

 

_Help_

 

_-Hearth_

 

“-Well that can't be good,” she muttered in my ear. “It's been over a week. You think we should go check in on them?”

 

“I thought we should before, but now I think we should do it sooner rather than later.”

 

\---

 

Hearth’s head emerged from the bushes like something out of a kid’s cartoon. The tasseled end of his candy-striped scarf was stuck partially out of the side of the bush.

Just his head was visible, along with his rapidly signing hands. _Do not open door. Spiky hair._

 

“Why are you hiding in the bushes?” Alex inquired, trying to keep her impatience quiet (I could tell).

 

Hearth faltered, audibly sighed, and then signed, _scared._

 

“Of Spiky-hair? Why not just… walk to Valhalla and get us?”

 

Hearth nodded and then shook his head, which was unhelpful in the extreme.

 _Also scared of... things out there._ He pointed beyond the fence that surrounded the house, his eyes seeming to focus on something very far away.

 

“Come on,” My girlfriend told him. “We'll help.”

 

He nodded, then sank back into the undergrowth and out of sight. A second later he crawled out ten feet away.

 

“Okay… Not even gonna ask about that one,” Alex said out of the corner of her mouth. “Come on.”

 

“So, should we or should we not go inside?” I asked tentatively.

 

 _You could, but... not a good idea_ , Hearth replied.

 

“We still need to,” Alex said commandingly. “Beantown - bring out your sword.”

 

Under orders, I pulled Jack out and he sliced cleanly through the door’s deadbolt, loudly humming “We R Who We R” by Kesha as he did so.

 

“Somebody please remind me that we need to replace that,” I said.

 

“Reminder,” Jack called out as he shrunk back into a pendant.

 

Alex steeled herself, then yanked open the door, ready to face whatever spiky-haired demons might lay inside.

 

\---

 

Except there weren't any demons. Just another kid, about the same size as me, with - you guessed it - spiky black hair that looked like the underside of a soccer cleat.

“Hey,” he said in a tired voice. “I'm Dimitri.”

 

His jet-black hair contrasted with his pasty complexion, his eyes a piercing icewater blue. He wore a grey dress shirt with the collar up, covering his neck, the sleeves rolled up past his elbows. Black patterned dress pants a size too big for him covered his legs, making him look both intimidating and laid-back at the same time, which was fearsome indeed.

 

“Hi.” I started slowly. “Do you…”

 

He looked me in the eyes, making me feel like I was being flash-frozen. “-live here at the moment? Yeah.”

 

“Okay. Hearth said that some crazy stuff was happening here?” Hearth hid behind me as I said this.

 

He sighed nonchalantly. “Yeah… a bit of it was my fault. I didn't mean to freeze the entire fridge- I was only trying to make ice faster. And I'm sorry, Hearth. I don't try to be scary.”

 

“Oh… Um. Okay, we’ll see what all that is later,” I said. “Is Blitz okay?”

 

“Yeah. He's fine, the twins just zip-tied him to his bedposts. Oh, and he's not wearing any clothes either, thanks to them.”

 

“ _He's definitely a demigod_ ,” Alex whispered behind me.

 

“And one with extremely good hearing.”

 

She blushed a tiny bit. “Sorry.”

 

“Twins?” I asked Hearth, turning slightly towards him so he could read my lips.

 

Hearth nodded, a few twigs falling out of his hair. _Two girls. Very strong. Not always nice._

 

“Okay, two things,” Alex said next to me. “That's it?”

 

“Um, there were some wolves outside earlier. They were glowing blue.”

I involuntarily took a small step backwards, accidentally brushing against Alex. Her hand found mine and gently slipped into it.

 

“Um, okay.” Alex said. “What's up with that?”

 

“I don't know, but… they don't try to get in. They just pace around the outside of this place.” He walked a little closer. “And, guys… I know wolves, trust me. These ones aren't friendly.”

 

I shuddered. Visibly.

 

“Okay,” Alex said again. “We’ll… check that out later. That's it, right?”

 

“Right,” he said. “Hey… um... blondie, are you okay?”

 

I nodded. “Yeah, I'm fine.”

I could feel his icy gaze on me, like I was getting freezer-burn. He didn't believe me.

 

He looked away. “Okay… Um, you guys might want to go untie Blitz. He's probably not too happy about being stuck up there all day.”

 

I nodded. “Right.”

Alex responded first, moving in front of me, and leading the way up the main staircase.

 

 

 

\---Alex POV---

 

I slowly pushed the door open, the hinges squeaking loudly as I inched it forward.

Only once it was open did I realize that I didn't have a plan.

 

_Think, Alex - how best to go about this?_

 

I wasn't really in the mood to see a naked dwarf just then, and I wasn't sure how I was going to avoid looking at him.

 

So I went with the safest route.

“Hey Blitz?” I called into the bedroom.

 

“Alex? Is that you?” Came a slightly hoarse voice.

 

“Yeah,” I looked back at Magnus, Hearth, and Dimitri. “Hearth told us you needed help, so we came.”

 

“Uh, yep,” he replied. “Things are… just a tiny bit outta hand right now.” I heard him briefly strain against the zip-ties. “I mean, I’ve been tied to this bed since I woke up, so probably none of the dishes are done, and I have no idea what anyone ate for breakfast, and-”

 

Hearth cracked a smile, though he continued to blush like a maniac. _Better at parenting - he does most of it._ I smiled back.

 

I waited for Blitz to stop rambling. He didn't, so I cut in, rolling my eyes.

“Okay, so, I'm gonna come and untie you, okay?”

 

“Okay,” he replied. I pictured him shrugging and going, _if you say so._

 

Magnus gave me the thumbs-up, and I turned so I'd be facing the room’s wall, taking side-steps through the doorframe.

 

“Oh, nice undershirt - wait a second! That's Magnus’ shirt!”

 

I heard Dimitri snort loudly in the background. I blushed hard, tried not to grin, and grumbled, “Really not the time, Dwarf.”

 

“Oh. Sorry - yeah. That was a bit insensitive.”

 

I sighed, sitting down on the footboard and staring very determinedly at the zip-tie which held Blitz’ right leg.

 

I whipped out my garrote and slipped one end through the zip-tie, being careful not to cut his foot off in the process, and yanked. I felt the plastic line split in half. “Alright, that's one.”

 

I scooted across the footboard and gave the left zip-tie the same treatment.

“Thank you - oh, they've both fallen asleep.” He folded his legs in front of him. I could feel a wisecrack coming on.

 

“Okay.” I inched around, trying hard not to make any jokes, and broke the other two, then bolted the rest of the way out of the room, beginning to giggle.

 

Hearth swatted me on the arm, but still couldn't help grinning a little.

 

 _What's so funny?_ The deaf elf asked.

 

“Not sure, I just-” I broke down into snorting laughter. Something about the idea of blitz without all his fancy clothes made me want to bust out laughing.

 

“O-kay; moving right along,” Dimitri said awkwardly.

 

 

 

\--- Magnus POV---

 

As soon as blitz had his clothes on, he followed us down the stairs toward the kitchen.

 

When he reached it, he started tapping his finger against his temple - never a good sign with him. “Oh, dear.”

 

The entire fridge was coated in a thick coat of ice. The dishes, as the dwarf had predicted, were piled up in the sink, not a single one of them looking even remotely clean. The door to the dining room had been ripped clean out of its frame and was resting on the edge of the dining table.

 

Blitzen carefully walked toward it to inspect it for heavy damage, but as soon as he got close several thick razor blades extended out of the sides will metallic _shinks_ , making him jump backwards about 6 inches. The ends of the blades were bent at right angles.

 

He sighed and turned to Hearth. “Could you please go grab everybody?” The elf nodded and walked back up the stairs.

 

A few minutes later, 4 kids marched belatedly down the stairs, with Hearth behind them.

 

They stood there for a minute before the shortest boy piped up. “Sorry about the door - the idea was to lock it in place a bit more securely, since before you guys kept busting the lock, and we didn't have anything thicker than those big razor blades in the cabinet.”

 

“How did you even get into the cabinet?” Blitz asked incredulously. “Actually - never mind.”

Lew looked down, suddenly very interested in his shoelaces.

 

I turned around curiously to look at the doorframe - there were in fact 4 bolt holes, one at each corner of the frame. I spun back around. “Huh.”

 

The oldest girl stepped forward. “So, Lew upgraded the door, but I think he forgot to unlock it. And when the twins got hangry, they may have… ripped it out to get to the kitchen.”

 

The two younger girls nodded in unison, looking at everything except his face.

 

Blitz forced the air out through his pursed lips. “Okay. Add that to the list of things we need to fix.”

 

Dimitri added, “I was in the kitchen trying to make some ice cubes when they ripped the door off, and I just kinda…” he gestured at the solid block of ice that was the refrigerator. “It made me jump a little.”

 

 _It's okay_ , Hearth signed to him, _powers are hard to control sometimes._

 

He sighed, looking slightly remorseful. “At least this time nothing exploded.”

 

Blitz nodded thoughtfully. “Okay, so… Magnus, can we use Jack as a heat lamp?”

 

I nodded. “Yeah. Do you think the door could be fixed?”

 

Blitz looked over to Lew, who shrugged. “Um, probably. It'll take a day or two though.”

 

“Kay.” Blitzen stopped tapping the side of his head. “Oh! We should probably do introductions.”

 

Dimitri glared at him, as if trying to telepathically communicate that he wanted to leave.

 

He walked behind the two youngest girls. “This is Brea, and this is Gray - they're twin sisters.”

 

“Demigods?” Alex inquired.

 

“Yes, daughters of Thor. They're both 9.”

They both had platinum-blonde hair coupled with eyes the color of rough seas - a deep bluish-grey. Their matching pink dresses seemed to sway, though there wasn't any wind in the house.

 

Blitz continued to the next kid. “This is Lewis-”

“Lew!” Lew interjected.

Blitz nodded. “Right. Lew, 11 years old, son of Tyr. He's good at making things.” Lew had brown hair and a face so dirty it looked like he'd been scuba-diving in an ashtray. He wore brown-rimmed glasses, along with khaki jeans and a Sex Pistols T-shirt that looked suspiciously large for him.

 

“And this is Aria.” He smiled. “She's-”

 

“15, and child of nobody,” she interjected. “Though I _do_ know all about the gods.”

 

She had light-brown hair, inquisitive green-ish eyes, and looked like a modern-day pirate in her outfit - grey Ugg’s, black sweatpants, a white shirt and brown vest, and welding goggles. A lit blowtorch hung in a leather holster on her right hip, like she’d been using it recently. I would've mentioned that this was a safety hazard, but it seemed like good way to get a face-full of said blowtorch.

 

“And of course you’ve already met Dimitri.”

 

Dimitri held up his hands like, _hey, it's true_.

 

“That's everybody?” Alex asked. Blitz nodded assent.

 

“Ok.”

 

\---Alex POV---

 

Once Blitz had given everyone a job, he went outback to do the gardening. So, naturally, half the jobs got dropped instantly.

 

Hearth had been sent upstairs to get some sleep in a warm bed after sitting outside for a day and a half.

“Would one of you two mind staying here to help keep an eye on things?” Blitz had asked Magnus and I. Magnus had agreed to go out to get some things with Dimitri while I stayed here.

 

Lew, however, proceeded to fix The Doomsday Door as asked, and Aria continued to supervise.

 

That second one I wasn't so surprised about though. She seemed like the supervising type.

 

I sat down at the kitchen island, next to Aria, who was doing her job while wearing darkly tinted sunglasses and ingesting enormous amounts of Mike N’ Ike’s.

 

“Yo,” she said when I plopped down next to her.

 

 _No response so far_ , said my acting brain in an Australian accent. _Let's approach the beast again._

 

“I was hoping you could help me out with some details about these kids,” I said casually, trying to match her tone and word pace. “You know… Girl-to-girl?”

 

She rolled her eyes lightly and glanced over at me. “Okay, first off, the girl-to-girl thing doesn't work. And second, if you want to know anyone's details, you're going to have to get to know _them_ , not me.”

 

I was sorta shocked, but then the shock was replaced by shame. “Sorry, I assumed your gender. That was… stupid.”

 

I flicked myself in the temple to demonstrate this. I knew from firsthand experience what being misgendered was like.

 

“It's fine - it's not like it's never happened before,” she replied.

 

I gave it a second and then said, “I know the feeling.”

 

“Hmm,” she grunted, reaching for the box of Mike N’ Ike's. “They’re all really interesting people - I know pretty much all of them.” She gulped down yet more candy. “It just... isn't my place to say. Know what I mean?”

 

“Well what about yours?” I asked politely. “If you don't mind, I mean.”

 

The brunette sighed like she’d been asked this question a lot. “I've been living the street life since I was 12. Nothing interesting happened until I found the Chase Space.”

 

I thought for a second that I saw something else in her eyes - some other emotion - but then it was gone.

 

She looked over. “What's your boyfriend up to?”

 

 _So much for easy answers_.

 

“Blitz sent him shopping,” I answered nonchalantly. “It's what all good boyfriends do.”

 

 

 

-Magnus POV-

 

I thought I saw a whisp of blue smoke disappear around a corner as Dimitri and I drove to the supermarket in Randolph’s old BMW, but I must've been hallucinating.

 

“Last time I was in here, Randolph - the guy who used to own the Chase Space, my uncle - was trying to tell me I was a demigod.”

 

The frozen blue eyes didn't move from the road.

 

I sighed. “Thankfully, you're a bit less of a crazy driver than him.”

 

“Hopefully I don't hit anything or get pulled over,” he said. “I don't exactly have a license. You're not going to be a stickler about that, are you?”

 

I snorted. “I'm okay with it, as long as I'm still alive when we reach our destination.”

 

We drove in silence for a minute.

 

“Can I ask about... being a child of Hel?” I inquired slowly. “Like, what are your powers?”

 

“Basically, I can freeze things, and I can glow blue. As far as I know, that's the extent of it - But the ability’s super hard to control. Remember the whole fridge incident?”

 

“Yep,” I replied.

 

“...what about yours?” He asked after a minute of driving. “Can you blow up stuff or something?”

 

I shrugged. “I can heal people and I glow. When it comes to destruction, my talking disco sword does most of the work.”

 

He laughed - a sound like icicles clinking together. “You're funny.”

 

-

 

“What do we need?” Dimitri asked, glancing at the shelves.

 

“We need stuff for dinner, which I think should be easy. Ham and cheese.”

 

The son of Hel rolled his eyes. “Come on, be resourceful! I bet I could make something cooler for less than a batch of sandwiches would cost.”

 

“Like what?”

 

He tapped his foot, like a rabbit thumping the ground. Then his eyes went wide. “MAC AND CHEESE!”

 

I sighed as he bolted off into the distance. “Oh boy.”

 

\---

 

Dinner was strange.

 

It was almost too quiet - it felt like there was something missing.

 

Dimitri and Aria were in the middle of an epic flirting match. Lew picked at his mac n’ cheese, and the thor twins ate ravenously, occasionally stealing peices of macaroni from eachother’s bowls.

 

Alex sat next to me, her bowl already empty.

“Quiet, isn’t it?” she said.

 

“Actually, I was just thinking that.”

 

She fist-pumped under the table. “Good, I finally got my telepathy fixed.”

 

“Smartass.”

 

 

 

\---Alex POV---

 

I'd wanted to talk about this for a while, but I was still a bit nervous.

 

“Hey you,” I started off, reaching over and punching him lightly in the shoulder. “Can we… talk about something kinda super awkward?”

 

He turned so he was facing me, his legs folding below him. “That's what I'm here for,” he smiled.

 

I took a breath. “Okay. So… I got called a lot of names in the city today while I was out… faggot, mainly.” She shrugged. “It didn't really bother me that much, but it got me thinking - we never had proper gay sex.”

 

Magnus blushed - hard. “Um.”

 

Which made me blush too.

“I'm sorry, that was a really dumb way to start off this conversation-”

 

“No, it's fine I just wasn't expecting it.”

 

“You're not too… weirded-out, are you?” I said quickly. “That's the last thing I want.”

 

“No.” He took a breath as well. “I just… hadn't thought about it. And to be honest, I don't know if I’d be comfortable doing it quite yet.” he paused. “It's not that I'm uncomfortable with you. I just...” he gestured wildly at the air.

 

I crossed my arms, deflating just a little. “Explain what you mean,” I said in an even tone. I wasn't mad, but I was curious and didn't want to misunderstand.

 

“It feels like a different thing,” he said after a minute. “I know that it isn't. But to me it feels like a big step.”

 

I deflated even more, looking away from his eyes. He moved his head back into my vision.

“I'm not uncomfortable with you, ok?” He said in an understanding tone. “I promise I'm not saying no, and I love being with you so so much…”

His hands searched for mine, for comfort. “I’m just not used to all this yet, so I want to do some other things first.”

 

I nodded. “So… not yet but soon? Baby steps?”

 

He nodded back, taking off Jack-the-pendant and setting him down on his nightstand. “Baby steps.”

 

“So… did you have any ideas for what we should try first?” I said, doing the same with my garrote.

 

He nestled up against me like a cute little kid and yawned into my shirt.

 

“Sleepy, huh?” I slowly brushed my fingers through his hair. He nodded, his eyelids drooping.

 

“Sorry, I… I have ideas in here somewhere…”

 

“Oh, no,” I said gently, a smile creeping onto my face. “You get some sleep.” I wanted homo sex, but I would settle for cute sleeping Magnus.

 

“But…” he tried to protest.

 

“No buts.” I ran my fingers through his hair again. “Go to sleep.”

 

He grumbled a little, but his adorable little eyes were closing of their own accord, his head already settled against my ribs.

 

I kissed his blond locks. “Love you Maggie.”

 

“Love you too,” he mumbled, already half-asleep.

 

I stared at his sleeping face for a while, trying to picture the dreams he must be having… or maybe the nightmares.

 

I thought about the wolf-whistles I'd gotten on the street recently - how I'd lied to him about them bothering me.

 

They'd never understand.

 

They could call me all the names they wanted. To Magnus I was a person - not a girl, not a boy.

 

‘Boyfriend’ wasn't the right way to describe him. I just didn't know what the right way was yet, either.

 

 

\---

 

 

-Alex POV-

  


_I want to stay asleep here forever._

 

My stomach grmubled.

 

I slowly opened my eyes, wishing I didn't have to, cringing at the brightness. I looked over and saw Magnus’ cute sleeping face a foot away.

 

I tried to move, but my arm was pinned under him.

 

_What bed am I in?_

 

Slowly, the events of the previous day came into focus in my brain.

 

_The Chase Space._

 

I groaned. “Fuck, Please don’t make me get up,” I said aloud to no one in particular.

 

Magnus scooted closer to me, grumbling about not wanting me to feel bad.

  


I had to stand up carefully - slowly untangling our bodies. It felt strange, like I wasn’t supposed to detach from him.

 

But a man must eat.

 

\---


End file.
